Those who care go to bat for a little puppy in need

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You'd never know by looking at her that Princess has a serious injury.

Three serious injuries, in fact.

The only clue that something is wrong with the Chihuahua puppy is her refusal to use her right rear leg.

The reason: The pup, who likely was hit by a car, has broken bones throughout her right rear leg and foot that will require surgery to fix.

Richard McCauley was working the afternoon of Nov. 3 when he heard a commotion outside.

“I heard a noise, and a dog barking,” said the Costa Mesa man, whose office fronts West Edinger Avenue in Santa Ana. Then he heard a man and a boy talking, so he went outside to see what was going on.

“The boy was pointing at the bushes and saying, ‘Dog,' ” McCauley said. When he looked in the bushes, he could see a small, tan dog.

Getting the pup out from the bushes was no trouble, McCauley said. She never tried to bite or get away.

McCauley took the dog home with him that night.

Monday, he brought her to Metropolitan Veterinary Hospital in Santa Ana. Dr. Catherine Wagner and her staff X-rayed the dog and determined that her right rear leg was broken in two places: right below the hip bone and above the knee. The toes on her right rear foot also have some breaks.

They estimate her age at about 1 year.

“Certainly no older,” Wagner said.

They named the pup Princess.

The broken toes are the least of Princess' concerns. If the pup doesn't have surgery on her leg soon – probably within the next week, Wagner was told by the veterinary specialist with whom she consulted – she likely will lose the leg.

Losing the leg is a possibility anyway. Wagner's office will donate Princess' spay, but her leg must be fixed first. And money to pay for the surgery must be raised before the operation can be scheduled.

Surgically, Princess has two options:

A femoral head ostectomy, in which the ball part of the hip joint is removed. Right now, Princess' leg bone “is just floating in there,” unattached to the ball-shaped bone that fits into the pelvis, said Cijae Smith, a veterinary assistant at Metropolitan. The surgery is used to alleviate pain in severely arthritic joints. It can also be used to relieve the pain of the break between the two bones.

In addition to the ostectomy, Wagner said, more delicate surgery would need to be done to fix the break in Princess' leg bone just above her knee. The broken toes, Wagner said, should heal on their own and are of much less concern than the two more serious breaks.

Amputation of the leg. While this sounds serious, and is, it's a much simpler procedure and one that dogs generally do well with. Judging from the way Princess is getting along without using her leg, she probably would do OK if this option were used, Wagner said.

No owner has been located for Princess. The dog doesn't have a microchip and was not wearing any identification or a collar.

Either surgery is pricey and will need to be done by a surgical specialist at Southern California Veterinary Specialty Hospital in Irvine. Wagner and her staff are hoping that donations can be collected to pay for the surgery.

Rescuing Unwanted Furry Friends, a South County nonprofit group that provides financial assistance to animals in need of medical care, has pledged money to help. But the group can't cover the entire estimated $2,400-$3,800 cost of the surgery. (The lower fee is an estimate for amputation; the higher, for the more extensive surgery.)

Princess, meanwhile, is passed from arm to arm at Metropolitan, offering each new person kisses and tail wags. She's a happy and, aside from the leg injuries, healthy little girl who will be looking for a home of her own after the surgery if her owners cannot be found.

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